Thursday, July 23, 2009

Rick Rack Project

I am pleased to announce that I did something with some of my recently acquired rick rack.

hey look, i can craft!

I've been straightening up my crafting space this week. It's a lot of work! I have a bunch of new stuff to find space for, which isn't the easiest task. I have so much stuff already! So I've been doing a bit of purging and rearranging. In the midst of it the other evening, I decided to take a little crafting break.

I am really not much of a crafter. I am a stitcher, and I have confidence in my stitching. But crafting...eh, not so much. It's pretty hit and miss. Whenever I set out with a plan, with a list of supplies I need to buy to make that perfect project, I fail fail fail! But I think this little project, this on-a-whim creation, is pretty cool. Not as cool as these awe-inspiring creations from doe-c-doe, but still pretty darn neat-o. :) And the best part is I didn't have to go out and buy a thing. Love that. ♥

And now I have to figure out what to do with all the bias tape I inherited! There's a whole lot of it.

organized

I think I might try my hand at making a banner. This flickr group is dedicated to homemade banners, and it's teeming with pics of inspiring garlands.

Anyway, back to the bias tape...

There are many packages of solid colored trim, but my hands-down favorite is the red gingham:

gingham bias tape

There are twelve total. Grandma must've hit a sale.

gingham bias tape, times twelve

These polka dotted ones are nice, too. The brown and orange have me thinking of autumn.
autumnal

I find this one especially charming:

stripey

And you can't beat that price...nineteen cents...

Or can you?

sixteen cents

I can't imagine a time when a three-cent markdown would have been considered a good price reduction. :)

And here's the least expensive package of trim in the bunch:

fiftenn cents

I don't know what shell braid is or what it's used for, but I love it anyway.

Amongst the bias tape and trims was some lace:

stretch lace

I love that it's similar to the lace featured in the ad on the back of this old catalog I found in Grandma's house.

spring 1973

60 c

I really love some of the dress patterns inside, especially these ones by designer Betsey Johnson:

70's dresses

And this one, too:

from the butterick catalog

from the butterick catalog

I am hoping to get more pictures of the things from Grandma's house (like the vintage linens) posted so I can share with you. But first I have to finish getting my craft room straightened up! So far, all I've done is clear off my desk a bit (how does it manage to get so cluttered..and so quickly?) and organize the closet.

neat & tidy

neatness

I think it's a pretty good start, though. So good, in fact, that I have a hard time shutting the closet doors. All I want to do is sit and stare at the neatly organized containers and colorful bits of fabric and trim. :)

7 comments:

Amanda Panda Pants said...

Kiki this is fabulous! You have so many goodies! It's a wonder that you can get anything done with all this wonderfulness at your disposal :)

barncat (Lisa) said...

I love your framed pattern, now THIS looks like something I could do! And gingham bias tape, who knew they ever had such a thing? Lucky you! I'm oh so jealous of your neatly organized closet space, wonderful just to look at :)

Mom Wald said...

Vintage patterned bias rocks! I can't wait to see what you do with it.

Candice said...

***Swoon....***

Okay, not so much over the contents of treasure trove--you know me, I ain't no sewer (although I think all that bias tape is an absolute hoot! [what the heck is bias tape anyway??]) =)--but I'm enthralled, in lust, covetous of that gorgeously ORGANIZED closet!! No wonder you want to just sit and stare at it. ;o)

Wanna come organize my house???

Love all the old patterns--hysTERical--and your little crafty project is sweet!! (As in the "saaaa-weet" of our high school youth, not sweet like cute and cutesy. ;o)) Love the use of ric-rac to trim it! If I was craftier myself (I go in small fits and spurts...I think I've found I'm a jewelry-making person for my craftiness urge as an adult; I ♥ beads), I'd remember to do something like that for trim!!

Miss ya! Luv ya!! Mwa!

Elizabeth said...

I'd like to get my hands on all that biased tape and rick rack :) Love how tidy everything is too !

besomom said...

I dream of having a space as organized as yours. I think I'd be so much more productive. Thanks for sharing photos.

JigsawJones said...

AGH!!! I have a lot to say. I love the pattern cover in a frame! That's a fantastic idea! And man, I could spend tons of bias tape. My granny recently gave me a ton of her old sewing stuff and I love all the old bias tape packages! I also love this craft area. I think I shall borrow your idea and get one of those hanging shoe baskets for my fabric, too. Right now, it's under my bed and too hard to get to for me to even want to do much with it. Grr. I also like how you hung your cutting mats up. I'm gonna go visit my grandad soon, and we're gonna build some shelves for my craft stuff, and I really like the way your shelves look, so I'm gonna use them as inspiration.